The Louisiana House of Representatives voted down a bill 55-38 that would allowed teens in public schools to be surveyed anonymously about their sexual behavior. Before voting, several legislators expressed concern about not knowing what type of questions would be asked of the youth.

Nine questions about sexual behavior are included in a federal youth survey given out to students nationwide on a variety of topics -- including smoking, diet and exercise. But Louisiana law prohibits public school students from being asked about sex. So those sex questions are omitted from the version of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey given out in the Bayou state.

Baton Rouge Rep. Pat Smith, the sponsor of the bill, said that Louisiana should be asking questions about teen sexual behavior. Teen surveys on other topics -- like smoking and binge drinking -- has already lead to better prevention programs for those risky behaviors, she said.

Those opposed to the bill worried that the survey would expose children unnecessarily to sex. "Won't we desensitize children when asking them about sexual activity?" said Rep. Lenar Whitney, R-Houma.

Smith replied that Louisiana teenagers appeared to be very familiar with sex, given the high rates of sexual transmitted disease among young people. According to Smith, over 9,000 Louisiana teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 years old have already been infected with Chlamydia.

"It does not desensitize the kids because they are already having sex," she said of the survey.

Louisiana had one of the 10 highest rates of teen pregnancy in the United States in 2010, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state also has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the country.